


Teach Me

by LureSanta



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Chess, Lure Santa Exchange 2010, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-09
Updated: 2010-12-09
Packaged: 2017-10-13 13:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/138006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LureSanta/pseuds/LureSanta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lure Santa gift for cas74, created by slayerkitty - Posted December 09</p><p>Reid teaches Ethan to play chess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teach Me

**Author's Note:**

> Set before any "I love you's" on the show.

Reid was about to make his next move when a loud, child-sized voice rang out.

“Luke!” Ethan shouted, running into the living room. A frazzled looking Lily was right behind him.

“Ethan, what’s up little man?” Luke asked, scooping his brother up into his lap. Ethan’s foot knocked against the chessboard between Reid and Luke, and Reid glared as the pieces scattered. Luke shot him an apologetic glance.

“You were winning anyway.” Luke said, giving him a small smile. “Like always.” He turned and looked at his mother. “You look upset.”

“One of the investors for the Foundation wants to meet with us in an hour, and I don’t have anyone to watch Ethan.” Lily answered.

Luke started rattling off names and Lily shot each one down as Reid picked up the chess pieces, righting them and putting them back on their proper spaces. Luke hardly paid attention as Ethan slid out of his lap and walked over to stand in front of Reid.

“What are you doing?” Ethan wanted to know, his expression curious.

“Playing chess.” Reid answered, looking awkward.

“I wanna play.” Ethan said to him.

“Do you know how?” Reid asked. Ethan shook his head. The next thing Reid knew, Ethan was in his lap, looking at him expectantly.

Luke and Lily stopped talking, both of them turning to stare at Reid. Luke’s face broke out into a smile, and Reid tried to keep his face expressionless.

“What?” He asked.

“Do you…would you watch Ethan?” Luke looked at him expectantly. Reid sighed, glancing at Ethan’s upturned face.

“You know I’m not good with kids.” He tried to get out of it.

“You watch Jacob all the time.” Luke pointed out.

“He just sits there and drools.” Reid replied. “It doesn’t count.” Ethan tugged on Reid’s arm. “What?”

“Teach me to play?”

“You really want to know how to play chess?” Ethan nodded.

“You and Luke play.”

“You’re okay with Reid watching you, sweetie?” Lily asked Ethan. Reid tried not to glare at Luke’s mother. After months of dating, she didn’t seem to like him any better.

“Yeah!” Ethan exclaimed. “Reid is nice, and he likes Luke and he let us have cake at Dad and Molly’s wedding.”

“Well, I guess, if you’ll watch him.” Lily shrugged in Reid’s direction, and Reid glanced at Luke, who was still smiling at him.

“Yeah, okay.” Reid caved, hoping he wouldn’t regret it.

“Yay!” Ethan screeched, excited. The sound went right to Reid’s eardrum, and he flinched.

This could not go well.

*

Luke and Lily left promising to only be gone for an hour (“Two at the most!” Luke told him.), and Reid was left alone with Ethan in the middle of Lily Snyder’s house.

Reid stared down at the kid, unsure of what to do now.

“Reid?” Ethan said his name, getting his attention.

“Yeah?”

“Do you love Luke like Noah does?”

“You can’t ask an easier question?” Ethan shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Do you?”

“I’m sure the way I feel (he nearly choked on the word) about Luke is similar to the way Noah feels.” Reid finally said.

“Yes, but do you love him?” Ethan asked. “Noah loves him, he said so.”

“Don’t you want to learn how to play chess?” Reid grasped at straws, anything to change the subject. Ethan nodded again, and Reid nudged him so that Ethan would go sit down on the couch. He took the opposite seat.

“Okay, so the first thing you have to learn is the names for all the pieces.”

“Okay.”

“This is a pawn.” Reid said, holding up one of the pieces.

“Plawn.” Ethan tried to repeat. Reid held in a laugh. The kid looked so serious.

“Pawn.” He told Ethan.

“Prawn.” That time he had to laugh.

“No, a prawn is a shellfish.” Reid said. “Pawn.”

“Pawn.” Ethan got it that time.

“Good.” He held up the next piece. “Rook.” Ethan examined it closely.

“It looks like a castle.” He told Reid. “Like out of one of Natalie’s books.” Ethan grimaced.

“You don’t like her books?” Reid asked, seeing his expression. Ethan shook his head.

“They’re all ‘bout princesses and princes and kissing.” He uttered the last word like it was dirty. “It’s gross. Everyone knows you can’t kiss girls. They might have cooties.” Reid snorted.

“Give it a couple of years, you might like girls.”

“You and Luke don’t.”

“Good point.” He looked back down at the chess piece in his hand, and held up. “So, this is the rook or the castle.”

“Rook.” Ethan repeated. Reid pointed to the next piece, his favorite. “Knight.”

“It’s a horse.” Ethan sounded confused.

“It is.” Reid replied.

“But how can it be a knight if it’s a horse?”

“It’s the knight’s horse.” He tried to explain.

“But if that’s his horse, where’s the knight?” _Anywhere but here, which is where I’d like to be right now._

“That’s just what the piece is called.” Reid sighed.

“Chess is weird.”

“You’re the one who wanted to play.” Reid reminded him.

“It’s still weird.” Reid found himself laughing again. The kid was funny, whether he meant to be or not. Reid thought back to when he used to play tournaments, when his Uncle Angus would take him around the circuit. He remembered the well worn black knight that he carried in his pocket after the first time he’d lost, could still feel the imprint of it in the skin of his hand when his Uncle had pressed it there.

That day, he’d sworn from that moment to be the very best at everything.

He held the piece for a second longer, staring at it.

“What about this one?” Ethan asked, touching the tip of the bishop lightly.

“That’s the bishop.” Reid answered, setting the knight back down on the board.

“Bishop.” Ethan screwed his face up in concentration.

“These two,” Reid told him, pointing to the board, “are the king and the queen.”

Reid listened as Ethan pointed to the pieces and named them, and set about teaching him the rules. He showed him how the pieces could move, which directions they could go. Ethan seemed to soak it all up, grinning when Reid suggested they try to play.

Reid took it easy on him, drawing the game out, making Ethan think, but refusing to let him win. After Reid declared checkmate, Ethan smiled at him. Startled, Reid stared at him.

“Reid?” Ethan said.

“What?”

“Thanks for teaching me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Can we have ice cream?” He looked so hopeful, and Reid was never one to deny himself food, so he agreed.

Luke and Lily got home (after nearly three hours), apologetic, to find them in the kitchen. Both of them were eating large sundaes, and discussing chess strategy.

Lily cast a disapproving glare at the mound of ice cream sitting in front of her son, but simply kissed him on the head. Luke sat down next to Reid, pulling the spoon out of his hand and helping himself to a bite of Reid’s ice cream.

“Did you have a good time with Reid, Sweetie?” Lily asked Ethan.

“Yup.” He told her. “Reid taught me how to play chess, and he told me that he’s going to show me his stret – strup –“ Ethan paused, looking to Reid for the right word.

“Strategy.” Reid told him.

“So I can beat him.” Ethan finished.

Reid stared into his ice cream, pulling his spoon out of Luke’s hand to get another bite for himself.

“Chess is fun, Mommy.” Ethan giggled.

“I’m glad you had a good time.” The look she gave Reid was full of amazement.

“I did.” Ethan took another bite of ice cream, dripping it on his pants and smearing it on his face. “Can you teach me again soon, Reid?”

“Sure.” Reid answered.

“Why don’t we go up and have a bath.” Lily suggested to Ethan, ruffling his hair. “I think you’ve had enough ice cream for one day.”

“Okay.” Ethan sighed, setting his spoon down and sliding off of his chair. Reid suddenly found his arms full of a very sticky six year old, as Ethan threw his arms around Reid’s neck and hugged him tightly.

“I’m really glad you love Luke.”

“Me too.” Reid found himself answering, giving the boy an awkward hug back. Reid saw Luke’s surprised but happy expression out of the corner of his eye.

“Reid?” Luke touched his arm as his mother led Ethan out of the room.

Reid turned to face him, seeing hope and wonder, and maybe something a little close to love in Luke’s eyes.

“Did you really tell Ethan that you love me?” Luke asked softly.

“That kid asks too many questions.”

“Reid.” Luke nearly whined.

“Yes.”

“What?” Luke looked startled.

“You asked me a question, Luke, and I answered it.”

“You...love me?” Luke sounded like he was having a hard time forming words.

“That's what I said.” Reid watched as Luke's expression changed, his features shifting in a breathtaking smile.

“Reid.” Luke breathed out. “I...”

“Don't go picking out rings or anything, Luciano.” Reid told him.

“Will you shut up for a second?” Reid closed his mouth. Luke leaned over and kissed him. He tasted like chocolate ice cream and Luke, and that was Reid's favorite combination. “I love you, you idiot.”

Luke smiled, laying his head on Reid's shoulder.

From that point on, no matter how busy his schedule, Reid made time every week to teach Ethan how to play chess.

When Ethan won his first tournament, a well worn black knight clutched in his hand, Reid was right there to congratulate him.

Luke took them out for ice cream to celebrate. As Reid took his first bite, he thought that it tasted like more then chocolate – like victory, and happiness, and maybe even a little like love.


End file.
